Until Death Do We Part
by DaLantis
Summary: Toni has a secret. She can see the death guardians for every human in existence including her own, but when Claudius, her own death guardian vanishes, Toni may find he is in the last place she ever expected him to be; On Earth as a Mortal! WARNING: DeathGuardian AU and Fem!Tony. Rating may go up.
1. Grave Situations

**_Until Death Do We Part_**

 **NOTE*** _This first chapter will be the events leading up to the main story._

 **Chapter One:**

 **Prologue:**

 **Grave Situations**

Death is a funny thing in a lot of ways. When people think of death, they think of a finality, a moment in their life when they no longer exist to be. When I think of death, I think of endless situations that I found myself literally knocking at death's door. I remember times when I was a child and people who mattered to me passed away. I remember feeling that void in my heart each and every time I lost someone of importance to me; not that there were many, but there were a few. For me though, death became more than just a word describing an end, it became a word describing life and a word that led me to my best friend and lover.

When my mother Peggy and my father Howard became pregnant, they were ecstatic. They had always dreamed of having a son, an heir to the Stark Company; a son who Howard wanted to be exactly like his hero, Captain America. They were not so excited when they found out they were having a girl. Goodbye futurist and hello princess, or so my father always thought. The day I was born, was the day I had my first encounter with death, though I was too young to remember it clearly. All I know is what people told me and what people told me, is that I came close to dying because of a medical problem. Instead, my mother, Peggy Carter Stark, died in my place and my father never forgave me.

Eventually Howard remarried a woman named Maria Armendariz, the daughter of Maximiliano and Dolores Armendariz, two Italians from Italy; billionaires in their own right. Maria and Howard were never as close as Peggy and Howard had been, at least according to others, but Maria was the hope Howard held for another heir, a son. Maria took to me rather well, calling me her own daughter and treating me like I was worth something. The first several months of my life, I didn't even have a name because my father never wanted to name me after my mother died. Maria who had been friends with Peggy took it upon herself to name me and my father cared little when she did. I was given the name of Antoinette Peggy Stark, though it quickly got shortened to just Toni.

Maria became pregnant when I was three years old. Howard however seemed neutral about the whole thing. I think he didn't want to get excited until he knew for certain whether the child would be a boy or girl. When it came up a boy, well…I can't think of another time in my life that I ever saw my father smile as much as he did that year. He even noticed me more often, though I doubt he ever considered me his daughter even then.

It was during this year that I had my second meeting with death, though my first real memory of it. I was outside playing and Jarvis, my personal servant, was watching me from the patio while talking to my mother and father about the coming child and what his role would be concerning it. I had just started to turn around and head back up the hill when I noticed something sparkling in the tree. Though small in stature, I refused to let it stop me as shimmied up the tree. I was nearly there when I heard Jarvis yell out at me. I turned to look at him when the branch I was standing on gave way. That feeling that comes with falling wasn't one that would leave me. It was like my body had become weightless, a mere breeze in the wind. The sparkling object in the tree above fell with me as I hit the ground and I had only a moment's time to wrap my hand around it, when the entire went dark.

I can remember what happened after. I was standing there in darkness, staring at nothing, feeling nothing. Then a voice spoke to me.

"Toni", it said.

"Who are you?!" I yelled, looking for the source.

"Toni", it said again, "that was recklessly stupid."

I frowned, not at all impressed with the voice rebuking me for my actions.

"Who are you" I asked again, though a bit more humble.

"A friend", was it all said, "Your time has not yet come. Go back child."

"Wait", I called a light began surrounding me, "Tell me your name!"  
At first I didn't think the voice would answer me, but then just as the light became brightest, I heard it say, "Claudius."

I didn't forget that name.

 **AVNGRS**

The third close encounter I had with death, or who I now referred to in my head as Claudius, was when I was eleven years old. Jarvis was driving the family limo and Howard, Maria, myself, and my little brothers Roman and Julian were all in the back. Roman had just turned eight and Julian, four. We weren't by any means a tightknit family, but we were family. The weather was bad that day; rain poured from the sky and lightning flashed in the distance. The front window was obscured because of the amount of rain pouring sown, but Howard ordered Jarvis to keep driving. Father didn't want to be late to a meeting.

I was sitting on the right side of the car, staring at the rivulets of rain running down my window when I heard the squeal of tires. I had just turned to look towards Jarvis and my parents when the car flipped and rolled again and again and again.

I didn't need to know what had happened to know that my family and I were almost dead if not deceased entirely, because I heard his voice again.

"Toni", it said, "I see you far too often."

I remembering smiling at the exasperated sound.

"Won't you show yourself to me?" I asked.

Strangely enough, he did. His form was obscured in shadows and his face, forever blurred from my memory, but I remember his eyes. Those shining silver eyes.

"Humans are not even supposed to know we exist", he stated, watching me and my reaction.

I had kept my features schooled, but I had to admit, I was curious about why he was allowing me to see him when it was obvious from his words that he shouldn't.

"Why then?" I asked.

He tipped his head and stared deep into my own eyes as he came closer.

"You are special", he stated and I know he smiled, though I can't remember it clearly, "Now sleep Antoinette Stark and awaken anew."

"Wait", I yelled reaching for him, but he yanked his hand away before I could touch it, "Wait Claudius", I begged, "Won't you tell me what you are and why you seem to be here whenever I am near death?"

Claudius paused, searching my eyes with his own before he sighed. It was a weird sound, because it rumbled like thunder.

"Very well" he replied, "I am what you call a guardian."

"Guardian?" I questioned.

He nodded. "When humans dream, their consciousness evades awakening. It is our job as a guardian to protect that consciousness until the time they choose to once again awaken or until they cease being altogether."

"So…you are my guardian angel?"

Claudius blinked before laughing, another thundering sound.

"I suppose you could call me that, or you could literally call me a shadow of death, a grim reaper of sorts. Depends on how you see the afterlife, I suppose."

"Claudius…am I dying right now?"

Claudius frowned as he knelt in front of me, allowing me to see his eyes up close. They were so beautiful. A storm of silvers, blues, and purples that seemed to come out nearly glowing in appearance.

"Yes", he replied slowly, "you are, but your time isn't now."

"How do you know?"

He smiled. "It is my job to know when people will die, as I am their guardian and guide to the afterlife."

"Then… when will I die?"'

He shook his head.

"I cannot tell you that Antoinette, I just know that it is not now. Go back and awaken. I will continue to watch over you, rest assured."

I don't remember anything more of our meeting after that, only waking up in the hospital being after having been in a coma for nearly four months. I was informed then that I was the only survivor of the car crash and the heir to the entire Stark fortune and company. It was at this time, that I met Obadiah Stane, my father's best friend and most trusted advisor.

 **AVNGRS**

During the years after the death of my family, I did many things and saw many things, but it wasn't until my sixteenth birthday that I met Claudius again and for once, I didn't meet him because of my own near death experience, but rather a friend's.

When I was fourteen I started attending MIT and there I met James Rhodes, my best friend. James was like a brother to me in a lot of ways. He was nineteen and though five years older than me, he never once looked down on me or tried to use me. At least, not at first.

I was turning sixteen and for my birthday, he decided to throw a party. Not just any small party, but a wild, alcohol only, party. I didn't mind. I had been drinking since I was thirteen, which had been the first time Obadiah introduced me to the stuff, and James knew it. James Rhodes or Rhodey as I usually called him, had been getting a little carried away with a girl when a group of guys came out of nowhere and literally decked him, knocking him back into an expensive vase that I just knew Obadiah would yell about later when he found out.

Rhodey tried to defuse the situation, but the guy wouldn't back down. The punk grabbed another vase sitting nearby and slammed it over his head. Let me just say that the screams people heard that night, were one hundred percent real. Blood poured from the head wound and the man who had been doing it ran into the night as people screamed bloody murder. Literally.

I rushed to Rhodey's side, but even I could see he didn't have long left to live. It was then I noticed for the first time, Claudius and another person standing side by side talking in the corner of the room. Neither one had noticed I was watching them as their attention was strictly on Rhodey and the mass of panicked people who were quickly leaving the house in a mad rush. I could hear the sound of sirens in the distance, but I had eyes only for Rhodey and Claudius. When I noticed the man with Claudius take a step towards Rhodey, his eyes sad and downcast, I couldn't help what I did next. I stepped in front of him and growled. I will never forget the look Claudius gave me that day. The day he realized I could now see him without being in my subconciousness. It was a look of pure bewilderment.

"Don't take Rhodey!" I begged, "He is my best friend!"

The man I didn't know looked heartbroken, but he shook his head and stepped to go around me. I didn't let him.

"You can't take him!" I yelled again.

Claudius came to me and to my surprise, wrapped his arms around me, stopping me from moving as the stranger moved past me and to Rhodey's side. Never before had Claudius touched me, so I had to wonder why now?

"Toni", he whispered in my ear, "be at peace. James is not dead and will not die now, but Rogan must guard his consciousness if you wish him to be whole and as he once was."

Tears sprang to my eyes as I leaned into his embrace.

I'm sorry…I'm so sorry", I cried.

"Silence child", he whispered with a fond smile, "sleep."

I felt my body go lax as he lowered me to the ground. For the rescue workers when they arrived, I had merely passed away, but I knew the truth. Claudius had put me to sleep in order to guard my mind. He wanted to protect me.

"You truly are special", he had whispered into my ear, as I closed my eyes and dreamt sweet dreams.

 **AVNGRS**

After that day, when Rhodey nearly died, my life changed forever. I could see guardians as clearly as I could see the humans around me. It was as though my eyes had been opened and I could see those guardians that followed their humans around each and every day of their lives. I could speak to them and they could nod or shake their head at me, but Claudius was the only one I could ever hear actual words spoken from.

It was a year after I graduated MIT, I was eighteen and now the new owner of Stark Industries because of having reached my legal age. I thought that this would be a day like any other, but I thought wrong. It was the day my life ended and the day my life began again.

I had just recently given a weapons demonstration to some buyers of SI weaponry when I was in a jeep riding with some soldiers taking me back to the military airport base. I can still remember their faces. Smiling young faces, just a couple years older than myself. It was the last time they would ever smile.

We had just been riding along, joking with one another when I noticed Claudius appear outside my window, with four others. The same number of people I had in the car with me. I knew then, that these soldiers wouldn't be going home again and I wondered if my time had also come.

When the first bomb dropped down in front of us, I could remember the panic that took me, but it was Claudius' resigned facial feature that kept me calm, like he knew what was coming and accepted it. While I didn't trust the fates, I trusted him.

The jeep was emptied out as the soldiers rushed into the desert to fend off the coming enemies, but I knew it was futile. The first to go down was a woman and I watched with a deep sadness as her guardian, the first female guardian I had ever seen, knelt beside her and closed her eyes with a finality I had never seen before. The guardian turned to me and to my surprise, gave a small bow before vanishing into thin air. The other three soon followed, their guardians showing a small sign of grief before vanishing altogether, until the only ones left were me and Claudius.

"Toni", he whispered as a bomb went off next to me.

The pain was excruciating and my ears rang, but I could still hear his voice somehow, past the panic and the pain, I could feel his own emotions rage within me. He was scared and … sorry? Sorry for what, I wanted to ask, but darkness took me and this time, he wasn't there to guide me awake again.

 **AVNGRS**

When I opened my eyes, I could have sworn I was dead. No, like I truly thought I was dead and that where I had awoken was hell, because it certainly wasn't heaven. I was lying on a cot, my chest aching with a raw, sharp pain and I could hear strange words being spoken around me. I remember seeing them start a surgery on my chest and I can remember screaming at the fierce pain and yet it all felt like a dream.

The second time I woke, I knew I wasn't dreaming. I was in pain, agony even, and I was scared. I sat up, only to have gentle hands hold me down as I tried to regain myself after nearly blacking out again.

"Toni Stark", the voice whispered.

"Claudius?" I asked back.

The voice was silent for a moment.

"No", it said, a bit confused, "My name is Yinsen. You are Toni Stark, correct?"

I opened my eyes and looked up into the kind face above my own. He smiled in sympathy down at me, as I nodded.

"That's me", I whispered.

He nodded and no other words were needed. Yinsen became my most important person during that time I was kidnapped in Afghanistan for three months, he stayed by my side teaching me and caring for me the best he could in caveman like conditions. Still, I couldn't help but wonder where Claudius had gone. Did he leave me because he knew I was going to die? Or maybe, he left me because he had given up being my guardian.

I couldn't help the deep depression I fell into during that time, but Yinsen helped me. We had been there for so long, I lost track of time and eventually days turned into weeks and weeks into months. During that time I was tortured relentlessly and ordered again and again to make weapons. I refused and the torture continued. I built the arc reactor, the glowing light in my chest that stopped the bomb shrapnel from killing me; at least not immediately. I also began building the first version of the Ironman armor because I knew it was our only chance out of our current situation.

I remember that final day when we were about to leave. Yinsen and I had made plans, we were going to go back home, but Raza it seemed had other plans. He attacked us before my armor was ready and Yinsen stepped in front of me to give me the time I needed. Bullets sliced through his flesh and I screamed in anger and pain as I blasted Raza full of holes. As soon as the man fell, I turned to Yinsen and his smoky blue colored eyes, but I knew it was too late. Blood ran from his mouth and he smiled up at me past his square rimmed glasses.

"Come on Yin, get up. We…we need to stick to the plan" I begged him.

"It's my time", he whispered, "This was always the plan Toni."

"W-what about your family, waiting for you?!"

He smiled sadly.

"They are already passed on. No doubt, my wife is waiting for me as we speak."

He smiled before turning to look at me again.

"I am sorry to once again leave you alone", he whispered and I felt my heart ache.

I couldn't help what I did next. I kissed him, straight on the lips. Yinsen wasn't an old man by any means. He was only around thirty-four at the time and while I was eighteen, he had become someone more dear to me than all the money in the world. I remember kissing him and how he kissed me back, until finally he pulled away with a bitter sweet smile.

"You have your entire life ahead of you", he whispered, "Don't waste it, A-Antoinette… Stark."

Everything after that moment was a bit foggy. I remember his guardian stepping forward to close his eyes as they all did when their protected one passes away, but his guardian was different than the others. She was a beautiful fair haired woman with rosy cheeks and green colored eyes. She turned to me and gave me the biggest most appreciative smile I had ever been given and it suddenly clicked for me. This woman, this guardian of his, was his wife.

"Please", I begged her, "make him happy."

She nodded and turned away from me, vanishing out of my sight. I didn't wait around after that. Yinsen was dead and I had some terrorists to obliterate.

 **AVNGRS**

The next time I almost died was only a few months after my return to civilization following the events of Afghanistan. I was welcomed warmly home by Obadiah and my staff, especially by my personal assistant, Pepper Potts. I had put a stop to weapon making upon my return and while I knew that it was for the best, that it would lower the amount of people being killed by my own hand each and every day, I knew not everyone would be happy about it. I hadn't expected Obadiah to be one of those people. His betrayal had been nearly a fatal blow for me.

I had been home, working on my suits when the phone rang. I opened it to speak to Pepper, when something sharp zapped me in the back. I wouldn't have expected Obadiah to be there, killing me with his own hand as he pulled the reactor from my chest, literally twisting out my heart in more ways than one.

Honestly though, it was during those minutes sitting there, dying and unable to move that I thought about Claudius and why he still wasn't here. Perhaps, I thought with a small ounce of hope, his not being here meant I would live again. I wouldn't, couldn't dare to think of it being for another reason.

Thanks to Dummy and Rhodey, I did make it out of there alive and only in the end, when I killed Obadiah with my own hand, did I realize I didn't need anyone to protect me. I could do that on my own. Or so I told myself.

During the time of my second reactor, I began to notice that I was losing my ability to see guardians. The last I saw was the one for Obadiah when I killed him and since then, I hadn't seen any others. Not even at funerals where most were located. I wondered if perhaps that was why I couldn't see Claudius anymore. Maybe he was still here, but invisible to me.

It was also during this time, my nineteenth birthday that I began to notice other signs of problems. My skin was becoming infected with silver colored lines and it didn't take a genius to know that they weren't normal. I also knew almost immediately that they were coming from my reactor and that the machine I had built to keep me alive, was also killing me, albeit much more slowly.

It was during this time that I met Natasha Romanoff or at that, Natalie Rushman and from then on, my life changed for the better. It was because of her I was cured from the poison and it was through her that I met the team and the man who would become my everything.


	2. The Avengers

**NOTE*** _Just a warning, things won't be going according to the movie/comics plot. I will be adjusting the storyline for my own purposes, so don't freak out on me, Kay? Thanks and Enjoy!_

 **Chapter Two:**

 **The Avengers**

Toni shifted nervously in the back of her limo as Happy drove towards the Shield Helicarrier that she had personally designed. As per their agreement, Toni would design for them specific tech (at her own discression of course) and provide them a descent amount of funding if they in turn gave her complete access to shield databases and allowed her to design things according to her own standards, no matter what they wanted (though with the promise of taking their requests into consideration.)

Shield happily accepted.

Then again, it helped that she also happened to be the daughter of the founder of shield (Howard's pet project) and the lead holder of their stock, making her one of the owners of shield, along with a few other wealthy and powerful individuals. This information though was undisclosed even to Fury, who seemed to be under the impression that the council were the ones pulling the strings. She was quite happy to let him continue thinking such a thing. It only meant she had something to use should Fury ever try to pull the wool over her eyes.

She wasn't exactly happy with Fury right now. He had, after all, gone behind her back and spied on her. He also had cured her without her permission (though she was actually okay with this one), and he had made her a "consultant" to the Avengers initiative team he was constantly droning on about day after day.

She disliked the word consultant, but then again, she found it oddly amusing that she, one of the owners and biggest supporters of shield, had been considered "not recommended" for a positon on the team, though her counterpart had. She decided to let this go though, in order to face things with a more…neutral attitude.

That being said, it didn't stop her from being absolutely nervous about meeting the Avengers for the first time. Sure, she had met Natasha and heard everything there was to know about Steve Rogers, but she hadn't really _met_ the team. She couldn't wait to speak to Bruce Banner about all his scientific theories ( _So sue her, she is a fangirl of his_ ) and to see the one and only Hawkeye up close and in person. She had heard of his ace shot and truly wanted to see if it was as dead-on as the legends claimed it to be.

Then of course there was Thor, the asgardian prince and his brother Loki. The two of them had apparently had some rough patches, but the two were now Avengers through and through.

Then there was Captain America. God how she hated him growing up, but now…well, she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. He was the sole reason her father had hated her, but she couldn't exactly lay the blame on Steve. He had, after all, been technically dead while frozen beneath the ocean, through no fault of his own.

"Toni", Happy stated, interrupting her thoughts, "we have arrived boss."

Toni smiled thankfully at him before turning once again to the helicarrier before her. The thing was massive and it made her proud to know she had been the one who built it. It was truly a work of art.

"Ms. Stark", a man said, approaching her from the craft. The man looked to be in his mid-thirties with black well-groomed hair and tanned skin. His eyes were hidden behind sunglasses as he peered at her, his mouth set in a grim line.

He stuck his hand out and she grasped it, shaking it firmly before letting go.

"You must be agent Coulson?" she asked curiously.

"I am. Director Fury sent me to meet and guide you through the ship to the conference room."

Toni smirked.

"You know I built this thing right?" she asked waving to indicate the craft around them, "I think I know my way around."

The man seemed unfazed by her declaration and merely shrugged, before starting up the ramp. Toni just huffed a laugh and followed behind.

When the two reached the third floor, he stopped outside the elevator.

"Here is your pass Ms. Stark", he said handing her a badge, "The director has requested you join him on his left side when you walk in. Also Ms. Stark, he wanted me to warn you and I quote, "not to make a show-horse of yourself".

Toni just smirked and took the badge, pinning it to her blouse before moving towards the double doors at the end of the hall.

"You should know of me already Agent Coulson", she called smiling, "I am always up for a show."

Coulson watched her vanish down the hall before a small smile crossed his features.

"Don't I know it", he whispered before turning to leave.

 **AVNGRS**

Toni burst through the doors of the meeting room, ignoring the surprised, confused, and somewhat irritated looks being shot her way by those in attendance before sauntering up to Fury and collapsing into the chair at his left, hiking her boots up onto the table in front of her. With her legs outstretched and her hands behind her head, she grinned.

"What did I miss?" she asked.

Everyone stared at her. She glanced at Fury and smirked when she saw him shaking his head and squeezing the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

"Ms. Stark…", he started.

"Toni, please", she interrupted.

Fury sent her a glare before sighing and looking to the other members of the team.

"Avengers, this is Antoinette Stark, daughter of Howard and Marie Stark."

Toni grinned and waved, opting to stay silent. She was curious of their reactions and didn't want to spoil hearing what they said.

" _That_ , is the Ironman I have heard so much about?" Loki spat, his eyebrow cocked in something close to curiosity and disbelief, "A woman?"

Toni glared at him before a snicker escaped another member. She watched curiously as Bruce Banner stood up and rounded the table to greet her. She smiled and eagerly shook his hand.

"Bruce Banner", he replied as an introduction, "Toni Stark?"

"The one and only", she replied with a wide grin, "I am a _huge_ fan of yours, Dr. Banner. You and the big green guy."

Banner blinked, his face reddening in embarrassment.

"Err…thanks?" he whispered.

Toni just smiled as they both returned to their seats. She noticed Natasha smirking at her. The two of them had gotten rather close since the whole "I spy on you, you spy on me" thing. She knew Nat wasn't the least bit surprised by her showy entrance.

Turning her attention to Steve Rogers, she noted his critical and disapproving look. No doubt, they would go around and around. He just looked like the ultimate kill-joy in human form.

A throat being cleared drew her attention back to the two gods.

"Nice to meet you point-break", she said smiling.

Thor looked utterly confused by the nickname but nodded back to her. Loki however smirked and then caught her eye.

"You too Rudolph", she stated with an innocent smile.

The younger god did not look amused.

"Now that we have introductions out of the way", Fury started, sending a pointed glare at Toni who held her hands up in surrender, "we should get this meeting started."

Toni tried to listen, she really did, but she couldn't help the yawns that came with every word the director said. She could tell he was getting frustrated with her, but she ignored it as she usually did, taking instead the opportunity to study her new companions more closely.

Thor and Loki Odinson, two princes of Asgard, as well as two magical beings with an incredible amount of power, strength, and will. While Thor she would describe as an overeager puppy, someone wanting nothing more than to make everyone on the planet happy; Loki she would describe more as a laid-back cat. A cat that stayed well-groomed, liked to be alone, and loved causing mischief. Then again, his name was Loki, god of mischief and lies. It made perfect sense.

Beside them sat Natasha in her usual black leather getup and gorgeous red hair (No, Toni was not jealous…much).

Next to Natasha was an empty chair. Hmm… obviously Clint Barton aka Hawkeye hadn't been able to get away for the day. She wondered what he was doing at this very moment.

Shaking herself from that line of thinking, as she knew she could contemplate his current status for ages because of her natural curiosity, she instead turned to look at Bruce Banner and Steve Rogers. Both were listening intently to the Director, though Bruce looked more bored then Steve who sat ramrod straight. That had to kill his back, she thought to herself with a frown.

"Stark, did you hear me?" the director asked.

Toni blinked and realized everyone was now staring at her. Uh…what had he said?

Fury must have noticed her blank expression because he sighed for what had to be the millionth time today and repeated his question.

"Based on what we know about the enchantress and this man, Thanos, what do you think would be the probability of our stopping him as a team?"

Toni blinked and looked around at the others, all curiously waiting for her opinion.

"Err… I think," she hesitated. She had read all about Thanos and the enchantress last night, but could she give a probability such as that? There weren't enough speculated or even proven facts for such a hypothetical conclusion. As if sensing her thoughts, Bruce came to her aid.

"I doubt she could do that Director. We don't know enough about the two to really have any idea what we will be up against. Only thing we can go off of is the information Thor and Loki have provided, which I apologize, but it isn't much."

"I agree", Toni immediately answered.

Fury looked deep in thought.

"I suppose not", he admitted, "Well then I need more information people. I don't care how you do it, but find out what you can. This meeting is dismissed. Rogers, hang back."

Steve gave a quick nod. The rest of the avengers began picking up their stuff when Fury grabbed Toni's arm. She glanced up at him curiously.

"We need to talk Stark", he stated calmly, though his good eye peered at her seriously.

Toni nodded and smiled. "Whatever you say, Me Hearty".

He glared at her for the pirate reference as she snickered and turned away, watching the others file out of the room until only she, Fury, and Steve Rogers remained.

"Steve", Fury stated, "I wanted to personally introduce you to your new second in command."

Both Steve and Toni blinked before their mouths fell open simultaneously.

"My what!" "His what!"

They both shouted at the exact same time. Fury just grinned.

"Your second in command", he repeated, "Steve has been made the official leader of the Avengers. I discussed with the council, as well as Natasha, and several other higher ranking members of shield about who would make a good second, in case Steve here got injured or killed in battle. Surprisingly, they chose you Stark."

"But I…" Toni started, not even knowing what to say, "I am just a consultant!"

"Not anymore you're not", Fury barked, "Full Avenger starting now."

Steve and Toni continued to gape at the director who looked infuriatingly smug.

"I don't understand, I would have though Natasha would have been chosen as second", Toni stated in a whisper.

"I would have chosen her to be, yes", Fury stated with a nod, "but it does make sense for you to be the second. Without a doubt, Steve here has the best skills to be a commander on the battlefield, but your ironman with an eye in the sky, able to see everything going on. You run a company and you have Jarvis to assist you. You are also a proven genius. All of these added up to us considering you to be the second best choice for leader."

Fury wasn't about to tell her that he also thought she would make a good second. In fact, if Steve wasn't here, he would have chosen her to be leader. She may not realize it personally, but he and most others who spent enough time around the real Toni Stark could see her amazing ability to draw people together. It was this hidden personality that made her exactly what they needed. The problem often times, was getting past the thick mask she wore for the public and those she didn't know or trust in order to get to the real Toni deep inside.

"Also, starting next week the Avengers will be living with you in your tower."

Toni and Steve again, gaped at the director like he was crazy.

"You have got to be kidding me", she screamed, "You can't just…"

"This is not a request", he stated firmly, though they both knew she could turn it down if she truly wanted to.

Toni just glared at him before sighing. Toni Stark didn't do anything she didn't want to do, but she honestly felt maybe their coming would be for the best. Maybe then, she wouldn't be so alone…

"Alright, they can come", she stated, still glaring at the director, but they both knew the glare was hardly hateful, "just remind them who owns it, yeah?"

"Of course", he replied with a smug grin, much to her annoyance.

Steve just continued to gape.

"See you in a week spangles", she called, patting him gently on the shoulder as she strolled past.

Fury and Steve watched her walk out before Steve turned back to the director.

"You have got to be kidding me!" he yelled, "she doesn't take anything seriously and she…!"

"Enough Rogers", Fury barked, "It has already been decided. Toni Stark is your second in command, your lieutenant in other words. I suggest you make an effort to get to know and understand her. For both of your sakes."

Steve turned stone face as he gave a sharp nod and headed out the door.

"And Steve…" the director called.

Captain America turned with a glare.

"Word to the wise. Do not bring up Howard more than you absolutely have to", he stated and then turned and walked away.

Don't bring up Howard? Steve wondered to himself, but why? Whatever the reason, he was certain to find out soon.

 **AVNGRS**

Toni hadn't wasted any time in setting up a place for the Avengers in her tower. She had immediately began designing the floors to meet their needs and she had done so while taking everything they might require into consideration.

The tower consisted of thirty floors. The first fifteen were for SI offices, but the top fifteen were for the Avengers and herself, as well as Pepper Potts, her personal assistant and newly made CEO of SI who often lived with her while in New York, which wasn't often as Pepper traveled a lot for business reasons to and from, all over the world. Toni's personal living quarters is on the fifteenth floor. Her personal lab is in the basement, along with another lab she had built just for Bruce Banner.

The sixteenth floor is Pepper's personal floor for when she does stay in New York and the seventeenth floor is Bruce Banners with his own personal hulk out room.

The eighteenth floor is Steve Roger's, the nineteenth floor is Loki's, the twentieth floor is Thor's, the twenty-first floor is actually a gymnasium for all of them to use. The twenty-second floor is a firing range and weapons testing area.

The twenty-third floor is another lab specifically for medical emergencies and whatnot. The twenty-fourth floor was Natasha's and the twenty fifth floor with a personal fire escape up to the roof, was Clint Barton's who she knew needed a lot of freedom and loved high places.

The twenty-sixth floor was purely a guest floor in case of visitors, the twenty-seventh floor was an interrogation unit for any "guests" they had that were not of the friendly sort, and then the twenty-eighth floor was a storage unit of sorts. Honestly, Toni just threw random things into that floor when she wanted to keep stuff but didn't know what to do with it. It wasn't often she went in there and she honestly couldn't remember what it had in it now.

Then there were the last two floors of the tower. The twenty-ninth and thirtieth floors. The twenty-ninth floor was under lock and key. She knew what was in there, but she didn't want anyone else seeing what was inside. The thirtieth floor however was purely for the Avengers and definitely not for herself. It was a common room floor where everyone could have breakfast, lunch, or dinner together if they wished (though they all have their own kitchens) and it also contained a mass media area and a staircase that led to the roof.

The roof itself was rather grand. At the top was a patio filled with chairs and tables and then a large pool with a mini bar. Definitely more for them than her, but she made sure to place plenty of cover up there in the form of both umbrellas and a glass convertible roof should it rain. Yeah…she didn't spare any expenses.

"I can tell you're excited", laughed Pepper from the table where she was going over paperwork, "I don't think I have ever seen you put so much time and effort into a project in a long time."

Toni shrugged.

"I just want them to like it here."

Pepper nodded, a sympathetic smile on her face. Toni hated pity and sympathy more than most things, so she pointedly ignored the look. She wanted people to like her, not feel bad for her.

"I am sure they will love it Toni", she stated with a smile.

Toni sighed and smiled back. "Thanks Pep."

Pepper nodded as she stood up and stretched.

"Well, I better get going. I have a meeting in a few minutes downstairs and you have to go pick the Avengers up in about twenty, right?"

"Yeah, Happy just went to get the car."

Pepper nodded as she started towards the elevator.

"Toni…"

"Yeah Pep?" she asked glancing at her friend.

"Just…be yourself, okay?"

Toni stared at her a moment before a small smile graced her face.

"I will try", she promised.

"That's all I ask", Pepper whispered and vanished into the elevator.

"J", Toni said as she grabbed her suit jacket from the kitchen chair, "what do you think about the Avengers coming to live here?"

"I think it might be a change Ma'am", he replied evenly.

Toni sighed and sent him a weak glare. "Gee, you are such a help", she stated sarcastically, "Then again, maybe your right. Maybe a change is exactly what is needed around here."

"Maybe so, Ma'am", her AI agreed.

Toni only hoped she was doing the right thing, as she started down the elevator to where Happy waited with the car.

 **AUTHORS NOTE:**

 _You know, I was going to write more for this chapter, but time didn't work out, so here is what I have so far. Look for the new chapter to come some time in the next couple days or so. Enjoy and let me know your thoughts!_


	3. Eyes of the Hawk

**NOTE:** _Sorry this took me a while to get out, but here is the new chapter. Enjoy!_

 **Chapter Three:**

 **Eyes of the Hawk**

Toni took a deep breath, preparing to face the avengers as Happy drove. Contrary to popular belief, it actually took Toni a lot of mental preparation before she could just show someone her "I am Toni Stark, respect me" face, which people often associated to be the form of her egotism.

"Avengers dead ahead", Happy stated, watching her in his rear view mirror. He was one of the few people who seemed to see Toni for who she is rather than what the media or pubic made her out to be.

"Thanks Happy", she replied taking another deep breath, "here goes nothing."

As the limo pulled to a stop, Toni stepped out, casting her million watt smile at her new comrades. She wondered what they all though about her being the vice-captain or second in command, of the team. She doubted they were very happy, save maybe Natasha who had only recently warmed up to her on a more personal level.

"Hello my comrades", she greeted excitedly, "shall we head to our humble abode?"

Steve stepped forward, his face grimly set as he took in the limo and then Toni's appearance. Toni wore a pair of very short jean shorts and a dark navy blue tank top to cover up the glow of the reactor. She didn't exactly want them knowing too much about it. At least not before she knew whether or not she could trust them with such essential information.

"Ms. Stark", Steve greeted, "Thank you for picking us up."

Toni nodded, knowing he was only saying such a thing because he was taught to be well-mannered, especially to women. She hoped he learned to loosen up a bit while he lived with her and the others. It was becoming a person mission of hers to see him smile around her, at least once.

"No problem", she commented, waving his thanks away as she turned to look at the other Avengers all watching her from behind him. She noted that once again, Clint Barton was absent.

Natasha noticed her somewhat crest fallen appearance and knew she had been interested in meeting Clint, Natasha's partner.

"He is away on a mission", she replied in response to the unasked question.

Toni just hummed and nodded as she turned to greet Bruce and the princes.

"Dr. Banner, it a pleasure to see you again."

Bruce stepped up and took her hand, giving it a delicate shake as though he was afraid he might hurt her if he squeezed too hard.

"Same, Ms. Stark", he said with a small smile.

"Call me Toni, please", she replied with her own smile, "Ms. Stark makes me feel like I am back in grade school."

"Toni then", he answered as he stepped back.

"Point-Break, Reindeer Games", she greeted Loki and Thor.

Loki just rolled his eyes and Thor smiled, looking oddly confused.

"If you would all be so great as to get in the limo. We shall be on our way."

The avengers each filed in, taking an empty spot within the vehicle before Toni climbed into the passenger seat next to Happy and smiled as she looked back through the window where the others were sitting somewhat stiffly.

"So welcome to the Stark Limo. Please remember to keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times."

The others just chuckled, but Thor, Loki, and Steve all looked adorably confused.

"Never mind boys", she replied with a sympathetic smile, "Sit back, relax, and just enjoy the ride."

Happy glanced at her as he rolled up the window. He knew Toni needed the time to re-collect her emotions and her courage. He knew better than most that since the day her family died and the day she took over Stark Industries, Toni had forced herself into the public limelight, but that wasn't how she wanted to be. It was what she had to be.

"You okay Tones?" he asked.

Toni smiled, a real but small smile as she nodded.

"Yeah thanks Happy", she whispered.

Hogan nodded as he stared out the windshield.

Toni sighed, resting her head in her hand as she leaned against the passenger side door. The avengers were coming to stay with her at her home. That meant she wouldn't be able to have personal time. No doubt they would request her presence, especially at the beginning of their stay considering she is the host, at least until they get comfortable.

A knock on the window separating her from the back drew her from her thoughts. Happy glanced at her before lowering it. Toni smiled as she looked curiously at Steve who was peering through the small window in wonder.

"Ms. Stark, how long does it take to get to your tower?" he asked quietly, almost nervously.

Toni glowered in mock irritation, causing him to frown.

"First, don't call me Ms. Stark. The name is Toni", she commented before smiling, "Second, we are here now."

She pointed out the front window at the large tower marked with a giant A. It had originally said STARK on the side of the building, but she figured with more than herself and pepper now living in the place, might as well make it the official Avenger Tower.

"Wow", he whispered.

Happy smirked as he pulled up to the front of the building.

"I could drive in if you want?" he offered, but he knew Toni didn't like him using the vehicle entrance unless it was for either herself or Pepper only. She didn't trust letting others know about every exit, should something happen and she needed to escape without notice.

"Nah, this is fine", Toni stated and Happy nodded, message received.

"Follow me ladies", she commented with a smirk, ignoring the glares thrown her way by the men. Natasha just rolled her eyes.

The others entered the tower, their eyes roaming the front desk entrance with curiosity and nervousness. The two desk attendants smiled in greeting when Toni walked in.

"Toni!" they yelled in greeting.

"Janet, Jill", Toni called back in greeting as she made her way to the elevator.

The doors opened revealing a blue clothed Janitor with a scruffy gray beard and dark brown eyes. He smiled when he saw Toni standing before him.

"Welcome back Toni", he replied as he pushed the mop bucket he was dragging along, out of the elevator.

"Frank", she greeted before stepping inside.

She noticed the others strange looks.

"What?" she asked blinking, "I hired them."

"Yeah, but…I guess I never expected you to remember their names", Steve commented almost in… was that awe she heard in his voice?

"Err…I see them a lot, so maybe that's why", she commented and the others nodded.

Truthfully, she made it a point to know everyone who worked for her. She didn't want any of them to feel they were in any way inadequate or disrespected for their work and position.

When the doors of the elevator closed, Toni gestured to the number panel.

"The basement will take you to where my lab, Bruce's lab, and the garage is located."

"My lab?" Bruce asked in surprise.

Toni turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

"You are a scientist are you not? I would not invite you only on the basis of being an Avenger."

Bruce stared at her a moment, before his face turned into a grateful smile.

"Thank you Toni", he replied.

Toni merely nodded.

"Floor one is the main lobby, obviously. Floors one through ten are offices for SI staff. Please stay out of them unless you absolutely need to go down there."

The others nodded.

"Floor eleven will lead to a personal conference room used only for myself, Pepper Potts my CEO, and any of our investors or board members. This is a strict authorized personnel only. So even if you try to go in, Jarvis my… assistant will not allow you."

She could see the confused looks, but she noticed Natasha's smirk. Natasha had already met both Pepper and Jarvis. She couldn't wait to see the others first meeting with the AI and fiery CEO.

"Floor twelve is Pepper's office. Also only authorized personnel only. The floor above that is my business office, you may come see me whenever you wish, though be warned, I am not usually there but in the lab instead. That being said, the fourteenth floor is the SI lab and is also for authorized personnel only. Bruce, you have authorized permission to go into that lab if you wish it."

Bruce blinked before thanking her again. Toni just ignored it. She didn't need thanks. She had only done what she thought was for the best.

"Floor fifteen", she began, "is my personal floor where I sleep." If I sleep, she added to herself. "I request you ask for my permission before ever entering, as I will also do the same for you."

The others nodded, accepting these rules easily.

"The sixteenth floor is Pepper's, but since she is hardly ever there, it is usually locked out with no one but myself allowed entrance. For Pepper's own safety and security. The seventeenth floor is Bruce's."

She turned to Bruce who blinked in surprise.

"We get our own floor?" asked Steve in amazement.

"Yes?" Toni asked, not seeing why they all looked so surprised, "Have you seen my tower? I mean come on. The place is huge, so of course you will get your own floor. Each floor has a master bedroom, two guest bedrooms should you ever have family or friends over, a small living room, a large bathroom and your own personal kitchen. It also has a storage closet and different personal effects that I thought might be liked."

"C-Could I see it?" Bruce asked in amazement.

"Sure…would you like me to show you around?"

"Ah, no that is okay. I know you need to show the others to their rooms."

Toni only nodded as she pressed the button for floor seventeen. When the doors opened the others peeked in curiously. Bruce stepped out in bewilderment. Of what they could see, the living room was done in a modern setting with a fire place, a medium sized TV, tan leather couches and cream colored walls with magenta borders. The glass coffee table in front of the couch had a gorgeous display of red roses and greenery and beside it sat a laptop with a case, charging cable and other smaller gadgets.

"I took the liberty of putting some stuff around the place to make it homier. I hope you don't mind?"

Bruce just gaped at her as the elevator closed shut, her smirk the last thing he saw.

The others stayed silent as they moved onto the next floor.

"This is the eighteenth floor and is Steve's."

Steve nodded as he prepared himself. He knew Toni didn't like him very much and honestly he couldn't blame her. He didn't exactly act like he thought much of her either, but honestly he just didn't know how to act around her. She reminded him so much of his friend Howard. When the doors opened, Steve had been expecting a plain white walled room, mostly bare. He was not expected it to open to a pale blue living room with white border and white leather couches. In front of the couches was an old fashioned looking TV and several pieces of furniture that had a unique 40's look to them. The lamps also held an old look and he stepped out, startled when he noticed a jute box in the corner, a lot like the one he had seen in diners back in the old days.

"You…like it?" Toni asked a bit nervously.

He turned to her wide eyed.

"It reminds me a lot of…my time", he whispered, feeling a bit emotional.

Toni smiled, seeing he was happy.

"Good, I took a guess as to what it may have looked like back then. I, uh…I tried to keep the techno down a bit for you, but there are still a lot of electronics around. Let me or Jarvis know if you need something explained."

"Jarvis?"

"Oh right", Toni nodded more to herself than him, "You haven't met him yet. Sorry J. Come up to the thirtieth floor when you are done getting settled in."

Steve nodded as Toni and the others stepped back into the elevator.

"This next floor is Loki's."

Loki turned to her, wide eyed.

"My own floor as well?"

"Did you want to share with Thor?"

He sent her a look obviously promising pain should she say such a thing again. She only smirked at him, knowing he understood what she was trying to say. She knew exactly what he would have told her had she asked him beforehand.

When the doors opened, Loki was expecting something Midgardian. He was not expecting it to open to a dark green room with yellow and gold accents. Fake torches hung around the walls, giving off a flame like appearance without the actual flame. Tan leather couches sat in the living room with a dark green blanket draped over the back. A large TV sat before them and an old wooden looking fire place sat beneath the wall hung flat screen. It had a very regal appearance.

"Like it?" Toni asked, seeing his carefully kept neutral face. She hated not being able to read him. He turned and stared at her a moment before a small smile graced his lips.

"It is satisfactory, mortal", he stated.

Toni smiled. That was as close to a thank you as she was going to get out of the man and she knew it.

"Come along Thor. Nat."

The other two nodded, Thor still glancing back and forth at his brother's room before stepping into the elevator. The next floor appeared before them and no one had to ask whose room it was. The room was decked out in an almost Viking like way. The walls were a dark chocolate brown with gold borders and like Loki's, had the fake torches around the room, as well as the TV and old fashioned wood fireplace. Also around the room hung shields of different sorts Toni had found and bought online. She had tried to make it as Viking and yet princely as she dared. The center of the room held a dark brown leather couch and a wooden, sculpted coffee table.

"It is marvelous woman of Iron!" he thundered with a smile, "I am very grateful."

Toni smiled back.

"No problem pal", she answered easily, "see you in a while."

Thor nodded eagerly before turning to wander his floor. Toni watched him vanish through a door before joining Natasha back in the elevator.

"So are you going to tell them about Jarvis?" she asked.

"Soon", Toni nodded, "I didn't want to freak them out so soon. Also don't say anything about my reactor. Okay?"

Natasha just nodded.

"Your floor is the twenty-fourth. Clint Barton' is above that."

"He should be here soon", Natasha stated with a frown, "The mission was a quick in and out thing."

"Well, send him to me when he arrives. I will show him around."

Natasha nodded as the elevator doors opened up to her own room. She blinked when she saw the light red walls and black accents. It had dark and warm feeling without being overly depressing or girly. It was just enough that it made Nat relax. The room sported a beautiful crystal chandelier with black leather couches and a modern fireplace with a large flat screen above it.

"I also took the liberty of supplying you some updated weapons. They are in on your bed."

Nat raised both eyebrows before heading off. Toni sighed and stepped into the elevator.

"Hey Toni!" Nat called, peeking back out of the master bedroom door.

Toni glanced at curiously.

"Thanks."

Toni smiled as a deep warmth bubbled up within.

 **AVNGRS**

Toni had given them all two hours to get settled in before sending Jarvis with a message to relay to all of the Avengers requesting their presence on the thirtieth floor. Their arrival was quick and their eyes wide from all of their discoveries.

"Toni, those floors are…" started Steve.

She noted he had started calling her Toni now.

"They are amazing", Bruce finished for him, "You even built a hulk-out room. That is just… thank you Toni."

Toni smiled.

"Not a problem. You will be living here now, so I wanted you to have the best."

"May I ask a question?" Thor asked with his hand raised timidly.

Toni raised an eyebrow in his direction.

"Do you have a spirit here?"

Toni blinked.

"Spirit?" she repeated in confusion.

"Yes, he requested I come to this floor to speak to you."

"Oh", she laughed, "No that's just Jarvis."

Everyone now stared at her, except Natasha who smirked.

"Jarvis, say hi."

"Hello Avengers", the voice replied in a British male tone.

"I created him. He is my AI, meaning Artificial Intelligence."

Thor stared at her in wonder, while the others nodded in understanding.

"Sounds like something Howard would have done", Steve commented without real thought.

Toni tensed at the name and the others noticed, though Steve missed it.

"Right, well…this is the common floor. It is a place where, should you wish to eat together or just hang out, you can come and sit and talk. It has a media room, like a personal movie theater, but as you can see there is also a large flat screen here in the living room. There is also a large kitchen and dining room on this floor and plenty of couch space, as you can see", she replied indicating the different chairs around the living room they were currently standing in. The glass windows around them allowed natural light to flow through making the pale green of the room seem almost white.

"This is really great Toni", Steve commented.

"There is also a gym and a firing range. Should you wish to go there, Jarvis can lead you. On the roof is a pool area. Enjoy them as much as you want."

The others nodded as they wandered off to find the different areas. Toni watched them before sighing, allowing herself to fall back onto the couch. She was so tired. She hadn't really slept at all since finding out they were coming to live with her and that had been nearly a month ago.

"Better go to the lab for a bit", she commented to herself as she stood up and stretched. She just turned to head to the elevator when she came face to face with a familiar pair of silver colored eyes. Startling back with a small yell, she nearly fell to the floor if the stranger hadn't reached out and caught her first.

"Whoa there. Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you. I was just about to say something when you turned."

Toni held a hand against her reactor. The past was never kind to her upon being surprised by unexpected company before and she doubted it would be now.

"Are you okay?" he asked, noticing her sudden pale complexion and horrified expression.

She nodded, backing up before her eyes finally locked with his silver ones again.

"Claudius?" she asked in a whispered, surprise written all over her face.

Clint frowned, confused. He was about to ask her a question when the other Avengers came wandering back into the living room. They all stopped when they noticed Toni's bewildered expression and the hand wrapped around her arm. Following the hand led them to Clint who was staring at them like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Clint, what's going on?" Nat asked, a bit confused by their expressions.

Clint looked between Toni and Natasha before quickly letting go of Toni's wrist. Toni grabbed it, rubbing it where he had held it and stared at him with the same expression she had, had all along, but slightly more confused.

"You are Clint Barton?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah", Clint nodded, "Sorry I am late."

The others quickly greeted Clint, causing him to smile but something about Toni nagged at him. Had he met her before somewhere? And why had she called him Claudius?

Toni snuck out of the room while the others kept Clint busy and started to her lab.

 **AVNGRS**

Clint stared down at Toni from the vents of the lab as he watched her work, tapping her fingers quickly across the screens. Natasha had filled him on everything he needed to know before he was told where Toni was located and how he could access it without express permission. So here he was watching. He felt a bit like a stalker.

"Are you going to stay up there all day or are you coming down?" Toni called.

Clint blinked before huffing a laugh and landing on his feet behind her.

"How did you know I was there?" he asked curiously.

"Call it a sixth sense", she replied with a smirk, "and an AI."

Clint blinked before busting out in laughter.

"Guess I forgot about you watchdog", he replied smiling.

Toni smiled back, but kept her eyes trained on her work.

"Can I ask you something?"

She glanced at him and he took that as permission.

"Why did you call me Claudius?"

Toni froze for a moment before turning to look him in the eye.

"You look like a friend of mine", she replied, "Your eyes especially."

Clint nodded.

"Everyone always told me my eyes were odd", he stated in agreement, "Everyone except Claudius."

Toni frowned.

"What do you mean? You know Claudius?"

Clint looked at her a moment before sighing and sinking into a nearby chair.

"Don't call me crazy, but…since I was young, I have been able to see…these people."

"Death guardians", Toni stated.

Clint blinked, but nodded.

"Err…yeah, I guess you can call them that. Claudius was mine I guess and he saved my life when I was little. He told me I had beautiful eyes and that I was special."

Toni listened, a deep painful feeling in the depths of her stomach. Did Claudius tell everyone they were special?

"He vanished when I was eighteen. I don't know where he went. I actually don't really have any memories up until Shield found me, aside from knowing my name and occupation."

"Clint Barton huh…" she whispered, "occupation, assassin?"

"Archer, actually", he replied, "but assassin is my occupation now, or at least it was until Avenger replaced the title."

"Huh", Toni hummed.

"You knew Claudius too?"

"Yeah…I always was under the assumption each guardian only had one person they protected, but guess I was wrong. Claudius was my guardian as well. I have been able to see them since birth. He also saved my life, several times; as well as the life of a friend of mine. Anyways, he vanished when I was eighteen also, so I assume you are my age. Twenty-one."

"I guess", he replied with a frown, "I don't remember much honestly, just a few things from my childhood. The circus, being separated from my brother, and then Claudius."

Toni smiled grimly.

"Sometimes, I wish I could forget."

Clint frowned.

"Don't think that. I wish I could remember. Even if it was bad, I wish I knew who I was and where I came from. It does something to you, not knowing your identity."

Toni guessed he was right, but she still couldn't help but wish at times that she couldn't remember. All those nights she hid away from her father's drunken wrath. The times her step-mother chose her brothers over her. The night her parents died and then the night she was kidnapped at fourteen. The night she nearly lost Rhodey and the nights she spent in Afghanistan."

"Look, uh, I just wanted to say sorry about freaking you out upstairs", Clint replied scratching his head sheepishly, "Let me know if there is anything I can ever do to make it up to you. I don't like leaving a bitter taste in anyone's mouth about me. Especially not a comrades."

"Thanks, I will do that", Toni replied.

Clint nodded, tight lipped as he headed towards the door. Toni watched him before sighing and turning back to her work, but nothing could ever be simple.

Moments later the alarm went off through the tower. Shield was calling. They had a mission, their very first as the team known to the public as Avengers.

"Guess you can pay off that debt now", she replied with a grin, "trouble calls."

Clint sighed, but grinned back.

"I get the feeling trouble follows you a lot."

Toni laughed.

"Smart man", she stated with a twinkle in her eyes as she rushed to her suits.

Clint just watched her, a deep warmth surrounding him at the sound of her laughter and the look in her eyes. He knew there truly was something special about Toni Stark and he was determined to find out just why that was and how it related to his forgotten past. For some odd reason, he felt she was the key to everything and he wasn't about to let her out of his sight.

"Avengers Assemble!"


	4. Exhaustion

**Chapter 4:**

 **Exhaustion**

* * *

Toni groaned as she collapsed onto the couch. It was the middle of the night and all the lights in the tower were out, save one. She shouldn't have been surprised that Clint was still up, waiting for her. Since the day they had met one month ago, the two had become surprisingly close. Not close as in intimate, but let's just say that of everyone who lived there in the tower, aside from Bruce, Clint was her go to guy. Though of course, Natasha was her go to girl.

'Am I rambling?' she thought to herself as her mind spun. She was just so tired. She had been working on a new invention for the past couple weeks every night and she had slept maybe a day in that entire amount of time. Yeah, she knew it wasn't good for her, but once she started in on something it became very hard for her to stop.

"Your home late…"

Toni looked up and just like she expected, Clint stood there watching her, his silver eyes nearly glowing in the dark. It still bothered her a bit about how much he looked like Claudius through the eyes, but she had long come to accept that it was probably coincidence. Claudius was gone and there was nothing she could do to bring him back.

"Toni?"

Blinking, Toni realized she must have spaced out because next thing she knew, Clint was right in front of her and gently rubbing away what appeared to be a stray tear. Huh… when did that happen?

"You should probably go to bed. You look really tired."  
"Yeah," she sighed, "maybe your right."

Standing up, she barely had a moment to consider how dizzy she was before she felt her body begin to collapse and everything went wonky. What she wasn't expecting was for Clint to catch her in his arms and scoop her up like a child.

"P-Put me down Clint. I can walk."

"Forget it, Toni. Let me spoil you for once, okay? You deserve it."

If Toni had been more conscious, perhaps she would have been embarrassed or even argued with his statement, but instead she merely closed her eyes drifted to sleep.

* * *

 **AVNGRS**

* * *

Clint was silent as a ghost as he pushed open her bedroom door and walked to the side of the bed where he gently lowered her down onto the mattress. Slipping the covers out from under her, he covered her up and took in the rare peaceful expression on her face that seemed to be emphasized by the light of the moon shining through her bedroom window. Glancing at the door, he hesitantly leaned forward and brushed a stray hair from her forehead.

"Sleep tight, Antoinette," he whispered and kissed her head.

Quietly he turned to leave, but he stopped when he felt her hand wrap around his wrist.

"Stay." the request was faint but he heard it. Turning to argue, he stopped, spellbound by her expression. Her eyes were teary from lack of sleep and she stared at him with such an open and honest gaze...

"Stay with me," she whispered again.

And Clint couldn't argue with that.

Biting his lip, he decided it wouldn't hurt. It was obvious she needed it and they wouldn't do anything anyways. Kicking off his shoes, Clint hesitantly and slowly climbed into the bed beside her and pulled the blankets up and over him. He only had a moment to relax when Toni rolled over and buried her head in his chest. Unsure of what to do in this situation, seeing as how Toni no doubt wasn't fully aware of her actions, he decided to be as natural as possible.

Gently he wrapped his arms around her and tucked her head against his own. Closing his eyes, Clint hoped in the morning, she wouldn't ever remember this happening, else he had the distinct feeling he wouldn't live it down.

* * *

 **AVNGRS**

* * *

Tony blinked open her eyes and peered out at the bright sun shining morning. Her room was lit up with the light of a new dawn and turning over, she was about to snuggle into the pillows on her bed when she froze. Laying there beside her, his eyes open and watching her, was Clint Barton.

"Clint."

"Yes Toni?"

"Did you sleep with me last night?"

"Sleep, yes."

"Did we do anything?"

"No."

"Did I invite you in here?"

"Yes."

"Was I drunk?"

"No."

"…" Toni hesitated, "was I sleep deprived?"

"Yes."

Toni sighed in relief.

"Alright good. You're sure we didn't do anything?"

"All we did was sleep."

"Good. Okay that is good."

Clint just chuckled as she sighed and scrubbed at her face. Glancing at the clock she yawned and noticed it was already six in the morning. She had slept longer than normal. Probably because of her sleeping companion, she wondered before noticing he wasn't moving out of the bed.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just watching you."

Toni cocked an eyebrow. "Stalker much, Clint?"

"You know that's not what I meant," Clint rolled his eyes in exasperation.

Toni smirked as she slipped out of the bed and glanced down at her business clothes she was still wearing. "I need a shower. Want to join me for that too?"

Clint wrinkled his nose and Toni just laughed as she began stripping. Clint's eyes widened and he turned away.

"Don't you have any modesty?" he barked.

"Not really," she quipped, "What? You never seen a woman naked before?"

Clint didn't answer, but risked a glance in her direction. Toni stood behind the wardrobe, providing her privacy, but could still see part of her legs and her shoulders up. He was a bit mesmerized by her beauty as she turned and sent him a playful wink.

"Ready or not, here I come," she sang.

Clint looked away again as she made her way to the bathroom.

"I will just be a minute. You can hang around if you want or I will be out for breakfast later."

Clint sighed, thinking she had gone when her voice called out.

"Oh, hey!"

Clint looked up without thinking about it and stared wide eyed at the sight that met him. Toni smirked as his eyes ravaged her body. Feeling happily pleased by his reaction to her, she flashed him a charming smile and stepped back into the bathroom. "Never mind, I found my towel," and closed the door.

Clint had to spend the next few minutes just breathing in order to get his heartrate back down to a manageable level and his face to stop burning a bright shade of incriminating red.

Still, it was really no wonder Toni was considered one of the country's top eligible bachelorettes. She was truly a breathtakingly riveting woman.

* * *

 ** _AUTHORS NOTE:_**

 _I know I haven't updated this story in forever, but I suddenly wanted to and I wanted to just write a romance piece between Clint and Toni. So yeah this chapter is really short, but I just really wanted to write a fun flirty piece. Hope you liked it! Let me know what you thought!_

 _And I promise those who are wanting me to update this story, it will be continued eventually! Maybe sooner rather than later if I can convince myself, but I also have "Day in the life of a Boy Genius" to work on too for this genre and more for another genre, soooo we will see ;)_

 _Check out "Its a wonderful life, Tony Stark" it has Claudius as a special guest in it :D_


	5. By Your Side

**Chapter Five:**

 **By your side**

* * *

Toni rested against the brick wall, her brown hair matted with hardened brown blood. Her eyes were tired and seemed to waver beneath the bright lights overhead. Her skin, normally tanned, was now an unhealthy shade of white. Her lips had a slight blue tint to them from the lack of oxygen her body was taking in. On a normal day, the resident genius would be talking a mile minute, never one to be silent when she could gift the world with the sound of her own voice.

This was not a normal day.

From where he sat across the room, Clint Barton was worried. Normally, he would try to stay optimistic and tease the others to keep them positive, even when things were rough, but those days had long since passed and yes, days were how long they had been trapped in this room. This small, tiny little room.

No water. No food. No glimpse of the shining sun. No cool breeze. No relief.

It hadn't originally been this way, in fact, it had all begun rather well. A birthday party had been planned for their resident genius and everything had been moving along quite smoothly, until suddenly they weren't.

While Clint had been picking up the cake, someone injected him with a fast acting drug in his neck. While Toni was leaving the company after a meeting and on her way home where the secret celebration was going to take place, someone chloroformed her. When Steve was buying the last of the party decorations, someone was able to inject him as well.

That was how they woke up, together, just the three of them. Steve was chained to the middle wall, his hands bolted with several cuffs of extremely strong metal, no doubt specially made to hold Captain America. Clint had been bound to his right, his hands cuffed behind his back with several different locks. His feet also chained, the fit so tight that it seemed to nearly cut off his circulation, but they wouldn't loosen it, he knew that without even having to ask, though Toni, dear Toni. She had asked for him and of course, the answer was no, but that didn't stop her from yelling curses at them for several hours, despite the fact they probably couldn't even hear her. Toni had been chained the least of them all, but it hadn't mattered. With what freedom she had been given, they took away by making her suffer the worst of all.

They had taken the three avengers for their own wants and desires. Apparently, Toni was their target more than anyone because she had shut down Stark weaponry production in her company, a weaponry that had been originally sold to them and various other terrorist units by her former guardian, Obadiah Stane. It seemed they wanted their revenge.

Clint had been taken due a personal vow for revenge from one of their members, a man he had a run in with on a solo mission for shield. Needless to say, Clint spent some personal time with the man each day.

Then there was Steve. Honestly, their reason for Steve was rather odd. It wasn't revenge like it was with Clint and Toni, but rather a curiosity and a scientific dream. They wanted to use his blood to make their own men into super soldiers and with a rapidly healing super soldier at their disposal, what better way?

The first day was the easiest. They mostly came in with the usual evil villain speech about how they would make them suffer for angering them and how they would have their way and rule the world and yada yada yada… Clint barely listened, Steve looked asleep, and Toni had to comment on nearly each word they uttered. This didn't seem to please them much, but since when has that stopped Toni Stark?

After the speech, they left and the three avengers were brought water, bread, and some weird gross cold soup. Toni swore it was poisoned, but Clint being hungry, well, he tested that theory.

Nope. Just really weird, gross, cold soup.

The second day was the start of the real fun.

Steve was taken from the room early that morning. Toni and Clint chatted loosely, each attempting to find a way to get out of their bonds, when the door opened and a large gruff man stepped inside. He eyed Clint who eyed him back and supposedly, that seemed like a challenge or at least the man took it that way, because suddenly he stormed in front of Clint and began to beat the heck out of him. Toni shouted until her throat was raw for him to shout. She cursed and mocked and belittled; she did everything she could to bring his attention onto her, but nothing seemed to work. It was only later they discovered he had a personal vendetta against Clint.

Hours later, as Clint nursed his bruised and battered body, they came for Toni. Toni was confident or at least put on the mask of confidence. As she was taken from the room however, her eyes found Clint's and he swore his heart began to hammer. He could see the fear she was unable to hide from his experienced gaze and it tore at him. He struggled in vain to try and free himself, but all it accomplished was rubbing his wrists and ankles raw.

That night, Toni and Steve were both returned at the same time. Steve seemed tired, almost dizzy. This was easily explained when he told them they had taken several vials of his blood and had put him through the paces in order to gauge his physical abilities. Toni apparently, once her own torture session had been completed in which she had been brutally beaten, she had been used as an incentive of sorts to keep the super soldier going. It worked.

That night, Toni and Steve slept fitfully. Clint stayed awake.

The routine continued each and every day, until something major changed. They didn't bring Steve back. Toni was taken each day as an incentive for him to cooperate, but the night they failed to return him, they stopped taking her. It didn't matter though, the damage had been done.

In the four days Clint was sure they had been there, they had all suffered major injuries. Toni was ill, what with her injuries, infection that had set in, and lack of clean water and good food. Her worst injury was a bad blow to the head when she had seemingly fought back and tried to escape with Steve. It was after that blow, she didn't speak anymore.

Clint suffered a lot of superficial injuries, but over time they began to add up and soon he felt ribs give way. He was certain several were cracked and even more broken. He was also beginning to suspect was close to puncturing a lung, as a sharp pain seemed to settle deep in his chest.

Steve had been past exhausted when he had been taken the final time and dizzy from lack of a full sleep and gallons of blood being drained from him on a daily basis. Not to mention, Toni had explained they had been using various weapons on him to see how he healed. No doubt that had left him weaker than usual as well.

All in all, it was looking bad for the three avengers, but for Clint who had to sit and watch Toni suffer and was the only one conscious enough to worry about Steve, it was even worse. He couldn't do anything to help her or the captain and he knew it. All they could do was wait and hope Shield found them in time.

Toni coughed, her voice weak and her throat sore from lack of water after having been abused the past few days when she had screamed in pain and shouted out curses at their captors. What little good it had done her, it had still been worth it, to see her teammates brighten at her stubbornness. She would do it again if she could, but her head seemed fuzzy and she could hardly tell what was up and down, let alone think clearly enough to use words.

She could still see Clint, his beautiful silver eyes filled with grief and fear, and while she wanted to help him, she knew there was nothing she could do. Nothing she could say, that would truly make this situation any better. They needed their family to arrive… and soon.

"Hey Toni."

She turned her head to him, the sound the only real indication of where he was seated in the room. Her vision was blurred and the room seemed to spin, but for Clint, she tried to reply.

"C'lt."

Clint breathed a sigh of relief. She was still there, somewhere.

"Did I ever yell you, about my first mission with Natasha for shield?"

Toni hummed out loud. She had to repeat his words in her mind a few times before truly understanding what they meant, but when she got them, she smiled.

"No?" he asked, recognizing the smile for what it was, "then I bet you would like this."

He began to talk. It didn't matter what he said, his voice was like a beacon to the two of them, that they were still alive. There was hope.

Perhaps he had been so caught up in his story, that he hadn't heard the conflict going on outside, but when the door was kicked open, both he and Toni jumped at the sudden intrusion until Clint caught sight of just who it was that was intruding.

"Nat!"

The fiery red head smiled, though it faded quickly when she saw the state of her two friends. Thor and Loki entered after her, the two of them eyeing their friends with various degrees of anger. Loki always kept his tone neutral, but over the past couple months, he had grown closer to Toni and seeing her as she was now, his eyes seemed to glow much like Bruce's when he is angry.

A roar sounded from a distance and Clint chuckled to himself. There was Bruce now…

"My friends, we must leave this place," Thor thundered as he moved to Clint and broke his bonds. Loki did the same with Toni's before he swept her into his arms, princess style. Thor, upon noticing the shakiness in his friend's stance, immediately questioned his ability to walk.

"Do you need a lift, friend Barton?"

Clint shook his head, his muscles aching.

"Nah, just need a second."

Nat stepped forward, his bow that he had only belatedly realized had been strung across her shoulder, was now outstretched in her hand, awaiting his grasp. He took it from her and it felt right, to hold it again.

"Let's go," she said and he nodded.

As the five avengers made their way through the compound, Clint asked the question that had been bothering him most of all.

"Did you find Steve?"

Natasha glanced back at him before smiling.

"He was the one who alerted us to your position. Seems he escaped from here through a back door. By the time we arrived to pick you up, he had already finished off several of the guards at the entrance where he had attempted to get back in and find you two."

Clint breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank god."

"You are welcome friend Barton!" Thor suddenly bellowed.

Clint smirked and Loki rolled his eyes. Natasha just smiled. Toni didn't move.

"How is she?" Clint asked, nodding his head towards their resident genius.

Loki looked down at the woman in his arms. Though her personality was beyond measure, her physical form felt small within his grasp.

"Weak," he replied, "she needs medical assistance. I have started a spell to assist in binding her wounds the best I can, but this is only a temporary reprieve. It will not last long."

"Then we need to hurry," the widow replied, her tone serious. "Keep Toni safe, Thor, Clint and I will do the rest."

Loki didn't argue. As they fought their way to freedom, he made certain to keep her tightly held within his arms and away from any sort of harm. While he had never had a real love for humans, this woman, despite her infuriating attitude, had become the closest thing he had considered a friend in a long time. He would not allow her to be harmed further, not while he was there to protect her.

As the Avengers made their way to the helicarrier they had arrived in, Clint and Steve both had begun to slow down tremendously. This was noticed by all the members of the Avengers and especially by Bruce who had only just turned back from being the Hulk.

"Get them on board and seated. Grab the med kits and tend to the superficial injuries, also grab some water bottles and some of the spare rations. No doubt they are malnourished and dehydrated. Loki, put Toni on the table."

The god of mischief did as the doctor said and placed her carefully on the table before hurrying to the front to start takeoff. Thor hurried to assist them, though it wasn't needed, Bruce guessed he didn't feel comfortable caring for the team when they were hurt and unable to do anything to really help take their pain away.

"Natasha, how are they?"

"Steve seems find, just tired and a bit anemic. Clint's ribs are black and blue and swollen."

Bruce frowned. "He might have some internal bruising. No blood on his lips or urine?"

"No" "No!" Both she and Clint answered at the same time.

Bruce nodded, amused by the archers disgust. "Good, that's good. No internal bleeding. He just needs to take it easy for a few weeks. Set Steve up with an IV."

Natasha nodded and assisted in helping her two friends get comfortable as Bruce looked to Toni. Her injuries were superficial, but her head wound was deep and he could see the swelling was already quite large. Grabbing an ice pack from the bio-freezer, he placed it against her head before checker her temperature, pulse, and blood pressure.

"How is she?" Clint asked, worried.

Bruce met his eyes. He knew the archer had come to care for her quite a bit lately. He didn't fully understand the depth of their odd relationship, but he knew it was a good thing, for both of them. In the time he had come to know his team, one thing stuck out to him most of all. The avengers, all of them, were lonely. They needed each other.

"She will be fine, with rest."

"Her vision and ability to think… she seemed so out of it in the cell."

Bruce nodded. "Her head wound had swelled up and was causing some pressure on her brain. It's not so surprising, but as the swelling decreases, she should be just fine."

Clint breathed a sigh of relief as he peered at her from where he sat. Stumbling to his feet, he moved closer to her side and took her hand.

"Now I can finally be beside you," he whispered with a tired smile.

Bruce walked away, giving them their moment. A tiny, knowing smile crossed his face.

"Doc, you okay?" Steve asked, his voice a bit slurred from exhaustion.

"Hmm? Yes, why?"

"You're smiling," the captain replied, his eyebrow cocked, "It's a bit… weird."

Bruce just chuckled. "It's nothing. Yet."


	6. Nightmares

**Chapter Six:**

 **Nightmares**

* * *

 _"_ _Toni, you are special…"_

Her eyes flew open, deep heavy breaths permeated the air around her.

It had been a while she had last dreamt of Claudius, but she could still see his silver eyes peering at her from behind a blurred face…and then, all at once that blurriness faded and it was Clint standing there, watching her, with his silver eyes.

She shook her head, scoffing. It was a ridiculous notion, the idea that Clint and Claudius could be the same person and yet she couldn't seem to move past the similarities between the two. If he had become human and his memories altered, was that why she could no longer see death guardians, because her own guardian was no longer amongst them?

She had wanted to bring it up several times to Clint, but the man always seemed so sad when talking about Claudius, she couldn't hurt him like that by insinuating something that was or was not true.

Knowing she wouldn't be getting anymore sleep tonight, she flipped on her side lamp and grabbed her red silk robe hanging over the back of her reading chair. She glanced at the clock and contemplated what to do. It was only two in the morning, but she wasn't tired anymore. Maybe the lab?

Deciding coffee was always a fantastic first option, she headed for the kitchen in the commons area.

Yes, she had her own kitchen, but for some reason she always left her favorite mug in the commons area. It was the only mug she ever really drank from and no, it wasn't just because it had ironman on the front, though that was definitely a plus.

As she stepped out of the elevator, rubber her eyes clear of sleep, she didn't even notice the shadowed figure lying on the couch, watching her. She moved to the coffee pot and waited for the Keurig to heat up. As she was standing there, a movement behind her had her spinning around, hands raised in the classic pose she so often did during their battles; her newest creation, a watch that could form a miniature ironman gauntlet at the ready.

"Easy, easy," came a familiar tone, "it's just me."

Toni blinked and slowly lowered her hands. "Sorry Cap, didn't mean to frighten you."

Steve chuckled. "I could say the same."

The two stood there, a bit awkwardly before Steve continued.

"I was just wondering if you were okay. You looked tired when you came in. More tired than usual, I mean."

Toni smirked. "Been watching me lately cap?"

Steve blushed but Toni just chuckled. It was too easy to rile the golden boy up sometimes.

"Just playing," she said as she turned to fill her coffee cup, "and yeah, I'm good. Just, nightmares, you know?"

Steve studied her a moment before nodding. "Yeah, I do know."

Toni cocked an eyebrow at the defeated tone, but he just waved off her concerns. "It's nothing just… Peggy, Bucky… I still dream about the past and what could have been. It's not that I don't like being here with the team, because I do, but sometimes I just… I miss home."

Toni was silent. She could understand that a bit, but she doubted anyone felt as homesick as the good captain.

"Steve, your what? 23? 24?"

"25," he corrected.

She arched an eyebrow but continued. "Twenty-five. You're still a kid in your own right. Now days, most people your age would still be in college, living at home, playing video games, and going our partying. Instead, you're here saving the world with a bunch of old people."

He scoffed. "Your hardly old. In fact your younger than me. 21?"

"22," Toni corrected with a smirk, "but not my point. Compared to you, we probably feel really old. All of our ideals and personalities are by far very different from how you were born, am I right?"

Steve shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

"See, then don't feel so bad. You have a lot to learn here in this age. Though I must say, you have done a splendid job fitting in thus far, it would probably be hard suddenly showing up in the future. I myself doubt I could make it very easily in your time."

Steve chuckled. "That is probably true. My day, women were not seen as… _well_ …"

"As a role model? As a celebrity? As a hero?"

" _As anything_ , but maybe a stay at home mom," Steve finally answered with a shrug, "I guess that is one of the reasons I struggled with really accepting you and Natasha. It's just so…different from how I was raised."

"Understandable," Toni agreed as they both took a seat on the couch, her cup of coffee held close to her chest.

"That's not to say I ever had anything against women. In fact, I had several friends who were women in the military, though not soldiers, they were nurses and operators and…"

"I get it, you were a women's rights activist," Toni smirked and Steve chuckled with a sigh, "Hell, you were probably the first activist in history, am I right?"

Steve rolled his eyes, but a comfortable silence settled between the two.

Steve couldn't even begin to think about when there had ever been a time like this one that hadn't began or ended in an argument with Toni Stark. This was a first as far as a friendly conversation goes and he was actually pleasantly surprised by how much he was enjoying just chatting with her. Still… he had to know…

"When Fury first made me and you the leaders of the Avengers, he warned me not to bring Howard up more than I have too. I… could you tell me why that is?"

Toni tensed, her hands gripping the mug tightly. She had to force down her anger. He was merely asking why he shouldn't bring her dad up. He wasn't comparing her to him. She could answer him. He deserved an answer.

"He, uh, he wasn't the man you once knew when I was growing up. I heard stories from his old friends about how he was laid back, funny, egotistical, and charming, but the man I knew was not the man from those stories. He was an angry drunk, detached, cold, ruthless, and… sometimes violent."

Steve frowned, his eyebrows furrowed. "That doesn't sound like Howard at all."

Toni glared at him, but she couldn't bring herself to put much heat behind it. He didn't understand and even if she told him everything he had ever done to her growing up, he would still probably never fully get it.

"I didn't have a bad childhood per say, but it was just hard being raised by my butler, alone, unloved… I feel like I am being sappy and pathetic right now, but…"

"No, you… you have a right to say these things. They happened and that's how you felt."

Toni stared at him, a bit stunned. He wasn't trying to defend her dad?

Steve met her eyes.

"I changed after I became Captain America. It's not so unbelievable that someone else I knew in the past would change after I was gone. Sixty years a long time to consider someone not changing, whether that be for the better or worse."

Toni laughed and stood up, pacing. "That's just…" she glanced at him and he looked confused, like a sad lost little puppy. "I thought for sure you would defend him. That you would think him the better Stark and…"

"You're not your dad, Toni. I know when we first met I did compare you, but as I have come to know your better…" Steve sighed, "I know now I was wrong. As much as I liked Howard and he was my friend, you are too."

Toni sucked in a breath when she felt a stinging behind her eyes. She couldn't handle emotions well and she needed to get out of the room, fast before her masks came down.

"I… thanks… I have work, so…"

"Toni!" Steve yelled after her, jumping to his feet.

She hesitated.

"Thank you, for telling me the truth about your dad."

Toni continued down to her lab, ignoring the tears that betrayed her ironclad mask. She ignored the emotions swirling deep within, but the one thought she couldn't bring herself to argue against, was that her dad had been right about Captain America. He was a great guy and she would never, ever, come close to be anything like him. She could accept that now.

"Madame?"

Toni sniffed and rubber at her nose, clearing her throat. "I'm fine J. Bring up the new diagrams for the mini gauntlets. I want to check their rapid-fire, time delay."

"…Yes Madame."

Toni lost herself in her music and her work. She never even noticed the assassin hiding in her vents, watching her.

Clint had heard most of the conversation between Toni and Steve. He knew how hard it was for Toni to talk about her father, but he was proud of her for the way she handled it. Most of the time they had pull the two of them away before they came to blows. It was nice to see the two could act civil, even at two or three in the morning.

Dropping down onto the floor behind Toni, he walked over to the couch and collapsed on the cushions, watching her as he kicked his feet up. This was a routine he had gotten into lately. Whenever she worked, he would just come hang out with her, watch her work, and sleep on her couch while drinking her beers. She never kicked him out and she never spoke to him. It was because of this he knew he wasn't being a distraction for her and it was because of this he knew, she needed someone around.

Even geniuses get lonely it seems.

"Jarvis, let's run that simulation again."

Clint closed his eyes, her voice and AC DC lulling him to sleep with their familiarity. This was a life he could get used to.

If only it would never end…

* * *

 **I know this chapter is short, I apologize. I really wanted to show the relationship Steve and Toni and Clint have in this section. I absolutely love these three characters and their relationships with one another more than almost any other, besides maybe Bruce and his friendship with Toni.**

 **In the coming chapters, we will start really getting into the movie arcs a bit. Ultron and Civil War, also more about Claudius and the "legends of Asgard" revolving around their own versions of Death Guardians. Obviously this story is AU, so don't expect the movie arcs to actually proceed like the movies. They will change according to how I want them to play out, so don't yell at me, K? You've been warned.**

 **Anyways, I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter and are enjoying this story, no matter how slow it is updated.**

 **More to come!**

* * *

 **Please Review and let me know what you might like to see in the coming chapters involving Toni and any character!**


	7. Future Past Part 1

**I have always wanted to do a story like this, where Toni is sent to the past during Steve's early years, so hang with me for about three or four (maybe more) chapters. Trust me, this section of the story is important. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter Seven: Future Past part 1**

* * *

Hydra was back.

It had all started like any other mission. The alarm at the tower went off, the avengers assembled on the helicarrier, and Steve and Toni bickered like an old married couple. It was normal and familiar to all involved, until it wasn't. Until Steve got hit with a strange ray gun that knocked him out and got him captured. Until the avengers had to go undercover upon finding him, to get him out. Until Clint and Toni noticed a strange device one of the scientists was working on and watched as it targeted hydra soldiers who suddenly vanished from the room. Until they tackled said scientist who accidentally triggered the device and sent Clint and Toni from the room.

 _That_ wasn't normal at all.

As the rest of the avengers struggled to get answers about where their teammates had gone, Clint and Toni faced their own predicament elsewhere or should I say, _back when_ …

Toni groaned, her left side hurt where she had landed so roughly after tackling the scientist. It felt like she had slammed into brick. Her face hurt a bit too, no doubt someone's elbow had got her in that little tumble. Gingerly sitting up, she blinked open a slightly swollen eye and stiffened. Her mask was gone and the suit was shattered in various pieces lying around her. And if it felt like she had slammed into brick wall, she guessed it was because she had. In fact, she was on a rooftop surrounded by brick ledges and it was all very… unfamiliar.

But if she was here and Clint had been right beside her… she looked around for her teammate, but didn't see anyone.

"Clint?!" she yelled out. She stood up, her ribs aching as she pressed a hand against them and made her way slowly to the brick ledge. She peered over the top and her heart sank as she recognized the figures lying about twenty feet below on the street.

She looked around, but there didn't seem to be a door up here to go out of to get down. The entire building looked pretty old in style, though well kept up with. If that was the case, old buildings usually used a fire escape or a ladder.

Peering down the various sides of the building, she finally found the fire escape on the complete other side. Quickly, she grabbed the pieces of her suit and shoved them back into a shadowed corner of the roof. The fire escape was low enough that no one would be able to reach the roof very easily, so she figured it would be safe for now until she could return for it.

Hurrying to the ledge, she peered down once more and swallowed. It would hurt, but she knew she had to do it. Slowly, she sat herself down on the ledge and took a breath before allowing gravity to pull her down. She landed with a groan and took a moment to allow the pain to fade before starting down the stairs at a slow, even rate. When she finally reached the ladder rung, about three feet above the ground, she took another breath and prepared herself for the pain.

She jumped.

And landed roughly on her opposite side as her left ribs screamed in agony. Gasping in fresh oxygen, she stumbled to her feet and moved around the building, clutching her side as she went. As she rounded the corner, she hesitated. Two men were kneeling on the ground beside her friend and the hydra scientist. She couldn't see their faces from her current position, but she knew she had to risk it, she had to get to Clint and find out for herself if he was alive or not.

Stumbling forward, watching the two men carefully, they both stepped back as she drew closer. It was only when she saw their faces that she relaxed a bit. They were just teenagers and looked like hooligans, more than likely out smoking or drinking by the looks of it. It was their clothes though, that got her attention the most. They were dressed like it had been in the 40s, wearing slacks with button up shirts and leather jackets, their hair styled neatly.

Deciding the best way to go about scaring these kids into not saying anything, would be to blame them for what she knew was an accident. She needed them gone though, so she could asses the situation.

"Did you boys do this? Oh my god."

"No lady, we didn't do anything!" the one yelled, eyes wide.

"Honest, please don't call the fuzz!"

Toni blinked at the term, but ignored it as she dramatically covered her mouth. "So you _are_ the killers… help! Please, help! Murder!" she screamed.

The two boys shared a look and took off running down the street as Toni stopped yelling and smirked. "Too easy."

She hurried over to the two men and stopped short of touching them. There was a lot of blood.

"Clint?" she whispered.

No movement, no sound.

"Clint?" she tried again.

A slight groan had her moving forward and slowly rolling the man over. Clint had scratches up and down his face and arms, but the biggest injury she could see was a piece of metal sticking out of his abdomen on the right side. He was losing a lot of a blood.

"Easy Clint, I'm here. It's Toni. Easy."

Clint went silence and Toni chewed her lip. She didn't know what to do. She had a feeling she knew what happened when that device went off and she was beginning to realize just how bad off that made them. Still, she knew a lot about this time from research she had done when designing Steve's room and it made her slightly more comfortable with how she might convince a local hospital they hadn't done anything wrong.

First though, she had to make sure she and the archer could pass for this time periods citizens. His black and purple skin suit and her black and silver under-suit wouldn't do it. They probably looked more like spies than anything.

The sound of footsteps had her moving quickly. She grabbed Clint under the armpits and tugged him back into the shadows. Luckily that movement didn't leave a blood trail. Watching from the alley, she noticed it was the police. No doubt her screams earlier had attracted some unwanted attention. They knelt beside the scientist and checked his pulse.

"Dead."

"This looks like a lot of blood. Perhaps a second man had been here?" they talked to one another.

"Possibly, but I bet he's long gone."

"Either way, we will send an alert to all officers and hospitals to be on the lookout for an injured man who might have committed murder."

"Did you notice his clothes? Weird…"

Toni frowned. That would make this a bit more complicated… unless…

Toni dragged Clint far enough away that she hoped if he did groan or make noise, no one would hear him from the street. Hiding him behind the dumpster, she knelt and softly swept some hair from his eyes.

"I'll be back, I promise. Hang on for me, okay?"

Toni hurried out the back of the alley and down the street. It was nighttime, so luckily it allowed her serious camouflage from prying eyes with her black and silver suit. She had gone nearly a block when she found what she was looking for. In the 40s, it had been common for families to put their laundry out to dry on lines. Hurrying forward, she looked at each piece, trying to match sizes. She stole a slip and a dress that wasn't entirely ugly and then a pair of slacks and a button up blue shirt before hurrying back the way she had come.

Clint was still out when she returned. Quickly she changed in the shadows of the alley. The dress was slightly big on her thin, athletic frame, but it worked. It was a black dress with some yellow and red flowers scattered across the material that buttoned both in the back and the front. It had a black collar that went up her neck with a white lace at the very top to crown it off. Luckily, the reactor couldn't be seen through the dark material; she wasn't sure how people of this age might respond if they saw that little beauty. She grabbed the band in her hair from her ponytail and let her hair fall around her shoulders. She glanced down at her black socks. She should have grabbed some shoes, but people didn't usually put their shoes outside.

She turned to Clint and hurriedly stripped him of his clothes and struggled to get the clothes on him without upsetting his injury too much. He was still bleeding and knew he would bleed through these clothes, but at least they wouldn't suspect them for anything other than murder. She scoffed and continued buttoning up his shirt before stopping. She eyed his black boots.

"Sorry Clint."

She pulled them off and grabbed both her and his body suits and stuffed them in the dumpster. They couldn't be wearing anything that might be considered out of time.

With that decided, she wrapped his arm around her shoulder and stumbled out of the alley, forcing tears to her eyes as she cried out. "Help, please! Help me!"

The cops both jumped and drew their guns before lowering them at the sight of the crying dark haired woman and the unconscious man at her side.

"Easy ma'am, easy."

They approached and Toni unconsciously tightened her grip on her teammate.

"P-Please," she begged, "he's hurt. I couldn't stop them… please…"

One officer quickly hurried to help her hold Clint while the other grabbed his radio and began to call it in.

"An ambulance is on its way, ma'am. Can you tell us what happened?"

Toni nodded, sniffing as loud as she could. She knew with her bruised face, swollen eye, and shoeless appearance she had to look like a mess, which for this tale she was about to spin, was perfect.

"M-My husband and I were heading to a hotel after a long trip on the train. S-Someone suddenly jumped us and C-Clint fought back, but… he couldn't. He fell and landed on some metal, I screamed and… and he hit me. He hit me…"

She cried harder and the officers frowned as they moved to comfort her. One thing she could say about the 40s, they were suckers for pretty women and more than that, they were hardly suspect a woman of being a criminal. It was nearly unheard of during this time.

"It's alright ma'am, take it easy. Did you get a good look at your attacker?"

Toni shook her head. "It was so dark…"

"Okay, it's alright. That you both are still alive, is good. Whoever attacked you, we think they attacked this guy here too."

They pointed at the scientist and Toni glanced at him. Huh, she hadn't intended that, but it worked out. They thought him a victim of circumstance.

"Oh my," she cried out and clutched onto the officer holding her.

The man grunted at her sudden movement, but didn't say anything as he calmly patted her shoulder. Toni smiled against his chest.

* * *

Clint was laying on a gurney in the emergency room while Toni sat beside him in a chair they had brought in for her. The emergency responders had luckily gotten the bleeding to stop on Clint's wound, but the archer had yet to wake up.

A doctor suddenly entered as he pulled back at the curtain and looked over the chart before looking to at her with sympathetic eyes. Looks like they had bought her story. Her ribs ached as she moved to stand, but she hid the pain. They would want to look at them if they knew and with the reactor, she couldn't possibly let them do that.

"So how is he?" she asked softly, trying to act like the worried wife. She definitely had the worried part covered if nothing else.

"He should recover nicely. I do have a few questions for you that I need you to fill out."

He handed her the paperwork and Toni took it, reading it over.

"A nurse will be coming in here soon to stich the wound and give him a shot of pain reliever. Right now we have him sedated. When we had tried to prod his other injuries, he had become aggressive and started yelling in a language we didn't know."

Toni hesitated. "Probably Russian, he was raised with a Russian family."

Toni thought of Natasha.

The doctor shrugged. "He also yelled a name, Toni?"

"Ah, that's me," she nodded, "My name is…" she hesitated, "Antonetta Bask."

"Antonetta?" the doctor questioned.

"Italian."

The doctor eyed her and Toni suddenly realized what she had just said. The 40s, world war II, Germany and Italy were allies.

"I have lived here in America all my life," she defended.

The doctor didn't say anything as he turned to leave. Toni frowned. She should have really thought things through a little more. She forgot how prejudiced and paranoid people really were back in this time period.

Toni sat there for nearly thirty minutes before a nurse came in and began stitching. The nurse didn't say a word to Toni until she was finished.

"Will he recover?"

The nurse glanced at her. "Yes."

Then she left and Toni sat there alone for another hour working on the paper work. Each question was difficult considering she wasn't sure exactly what to put down.

Patients name: Clinton Bask

Birth date. She couldn't exactly put his actual one, now could she? Hmm…

Birth date: 1918, September 18 (22 years old)

Occupation… hmm… she wanted him to be mobile and be able to bend his story however he wanted.

Occupation: Truck driver

Children: None

Spouse: Antonetta Bask

Spouse birth date: 1918, March 9

Spouse occupation: Scientist Inventor

She continued filling out the information until Clint suddenly groaned and began to move.

"Clint?" she hurried to his side as fast as her ribs would let her.

He opened his eyes and blinked for a few moments before turning to look at her. He stared at her a moment before gently cupping her face.

"Your eye…"

She smiled. "It's okay, you know I've had worse before."

Clint was silent as he studied her just as the curtain opened. He stiffened and winced as Toni calmly stood straight beside her 'husband'.

"Mr. Bask, it's good to see you up and about", the doctor replied, ignoring Toni completely.

Clint didn't even hesitate. "Thanks doctor. How is my wife?"

Toni blinked, surprised he had guessed it so quickly, but it did make sense. They couldn't be siblings as they looked nothing like alike and they wouldn't just be friends or it would be weird her filling out his information for him.

The doctor glanced at Toni and Clint frowned at the hostility and disgust he saw in the man's eyes. Still, he stayed silent about it. Toni said nothing and if they called him Bask, that meant she had created a name on the fly and didn't trust this place, whatever hospital they are in.

He suddenly noted her clothes. Unlike the somewhat slutty clothes she normally wore in the public eye, she looked… very old fashioned. He couldn't even remember a time he had actually seen her in a dress except for some of the large parties she held at charity events.

"She is fine, just some superficial bruises."

The doctor took the paperwork from Toni and looked it over before handing it to a nurse. Toni spied the uniforms standing just behind the curtain and frowned. Seems they didn't trust anyone with an Italian heritage. She should have said she was Spanish instead.

Clint also noticed them and glanced at Toni who didn't meet his eye.

"When can I leave doc?"

The doctor blinked. "You need time to recover, Mr. Bask. I doubt a hotel would do you much comfort. We will arrange to have you stay here for a night or two under observation."

Clint frowned and was about to argue, but Toni placed a hand over his. "That sounds good, right darling?"

He stared at her and noticed the forced smile. "Yeah…"

The doctor nodded. "I will send a nurse to get that set up and come get you in an hour or so. In the meantime, you have some visitors."

The doctor fled the room as the two military men stepped inside.

"I'm Major Laurence and this is Sergeant Barnes. Could you please come with us ma'am for a talk downtown?"

Clint sat up, his eyes fierce. "Anything you say to my wife can be said in front of me."

The two men glanced at Clint before looking back at Toni. She met their gazes without flinching.

"I'll be fine, Clint," she told him as she kept their gazes, "Heal and I'll be back to visit."

Clint wanted to protest. He didn't understand what was going on, but Toni did and he wanted to talk to her before she just left and was taken god knows where.

"Rest babe," she whispered and suddenly kissed him.

His eyes were wide before he slowly and gently kissed her back. The two stood there, their first true kiss as she held his hand and passed a note unseen into his grasp. Then she pulled back, blushed, and walked out of the room.

Clint followed her as far as he could with his eyes before looking down at the note in his hand. He opened it up and read it over.

 _Made a mistake and told them I was Italian. Whoops. Also, you were raised in a Russian family as Clinton Bask, married to Antonetta Bask, no children. This is the 1940s Clint, so sell it. September 18, 1918 birthday. Mine is March 9, 1918. You're a truck driver, do what you will with that. I'm a scientist and an inventor. I needed an in. We arrived earlier today by train and were mugged. you tried to fight him, but got pushed onto something sharp on the ground. You saw nothing. We are in town to enlist._

Clint absorbed the information before ripping it up and throwing the pieces away and hiding them deep in the trash can under a bunch of other trash.

1940s… Steve's time. He thought back on the scientist they had chased and the hydra soldiers that had vanished before they had. He had a nasty feeling he knew where they had gone now and why.

They didn't have a moment to spare.

* * *

Toni sat cuffed to the table, studying the mirror that was no doubt a window where people were studying her. The two soldiers had dropped her off in this room and left before she could even ask anything serious. The one called Barnes she kind of recognized. She felt for sure she had seen his picture someone where before, but she couldn't remember where.

The door opened and two men stepped into the room. One was an older gray-haired man, peppered black and white with a thick mustache and dressed in a high-ranking uniform. The other was also older and wore a white lab coat with a button up gray shirt and slacks.

"I'm Colonel Phillips and this is Dr. Erskine. We have some questions for you."

Erskine… she inwardly cheered, that was perfect.

"What is your name?"

"Antonetta Bask."

"Age?"

"22."

"Occupation?"

"Scientist and inventor."

Erskine eyed her curiously.

"Heritage?"

"American."

Phillips frowned.

"The doctor told us you claimed to be Italian."

"Well, I do have Italian in my family, but as I told the good doctor, I was born and raised in America. My mother was Italian and my father American."

The colonel scribbled it down before placing the pen on the table.

"You understand why we are suspicious when an Italian woman is found on the street near a dead body and a stabbed white man, claiming to be his wife and putting her occupation down as scientist."

Toni snorted and Phillips raised an eyebrow at the unladylike action as Erskine studied her curiously.

"Colonel, I am not claiming anything. I merely told you the facts."

Phillips stared her down as Erskine spoke up.

"What sort of science do you do?"

I am an expert in physics, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, electrical and mechanic engineering and astrophysics, she wanted to say, but instead said "I am a physicist and a mechanical engineer. I also like to dabble in chemistry."

Erskine smiled and Phillips frowned.

"You told the police you traveled here on the train, for what reason exactly?"

"My husband wanted to enlist and I thought if I could help, I might be able to do the same in the military science department. I hate the Nazis as much as anyone."

Phillips and Erskine shared a look.

"Excuse us for a moment," the colonel grunted as the two walked out.

Toni fought down a smirk. She had a feeling it was going just as she wanted it to.

* * *

Clint was going crazy. He had tired every maneuver he could to get out of the hospital early, but they wouldn't budge. He tried the worried husband act. He tried the 'I have rights' act. He tried the 'annoying patient' act that Toni usually does, but nothing. He was beginning to suspect the military had ordered the hospital not to let him leave.

Normally he would just sneak out, but he wasn't a spy in this time. He was a truck driver wanting to enlist into the military. Sneaking out would only make both he and Toni look more suspicious.

The one thing he could say about the hospital, they kept it clean and him attended too. They did their best to make him comfortable in his room or what he liked to call his hospital jail cell.

It had to be several hours later before another military man came to check on him. This man brought him a change of clothes, which happened to be a standard military uniform. He looked them over and was surprised to find his name stitched on the front, though no rank.

He changed into these and the boots they brought him before waiting patiently on his bed. Sure enough, a few moments later, the same man came back.

"The colonel wishes to see you. Follow me."

He was taken out to a jeep where he was asked to take a seat in the back. He rode in silence to a small military base and followed the man inside until he was taken to a small room and asked to sit. His side protested the bending, but he made no sign of it as he sat and waited for whatever was about to happen, to happen.

It wasn't long before two older men stepped inside. One military and one most likely a scientist.

"Mr. Bask?"

Clint looked at each of them. "Yes? Where is my wife?"

"In time. First we have a few questions."

Clint shrugged and laid back a bit in his chair. The epitome of calm.

"First off, I am colonel Phillips and this is Dr. Erskine."

Clint looked at the old man beside the Colonel. He knew about him and his part in Steve's transformation to Captain America.

"Pleasure, Clint Bask."

Phillips studied him. "It says here you're a truck driver. Care to explain for who and what?"

Clint paused and thought his answer out.

"I drove for commercial and for private hire. You needed me to transport something, I was your man, no questions asked."

Phillips huffed, but seemed satisfied with that answer. "So you're a mercenary?"

Clint shrugged. "I can fight, if that's what your asking."

Phillips was silent for a moment. "I know guys like you. They each have a specific talent to go along with their don't ask, don't tell rule of hiring. So what's your talent? Bombs? Weapons? Hacking?"

Clint smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know."

Phillips narrowed his eyes. Clint didn't want to seem to open to giving away information considering what he just said his profession to be. Mercenaries were tough and stubborn, so he needed to play the part.

Erskine spoke up. "Your wife, she said she excels in physics, mechanical engineering, and some chemistry? Could you explain how you met her and what she does while you are off driving trucks?"

Clint thought Toni was pretty humble with her talents, but nodded his head, playing along.

"Yeah, sometimes my job requires a hacker or a mechanic. Toni can be efficient in these areas when asked, but most of the time I wanted to keep her out of harm's way so she stayed home and worked on her own experiments." Clint knew in the 40s women were looked down upon a bit more. He didn't want to make her out too tough. "She likes creating different things and lately," he looked right at Erskine, "has been working with biological components."

Erskine looked like he had discovered a hidden treasure as he seemed to zone out while sitting there, no doubt running over what he knew and what his own coming plans were for the super soldier serum in project rebirth. Phillips on the other hand looked suspicious.

"So your wife, she can fight too?" Philips questioned.

Clint shrugged. "She knows how to fight a little, yeah. I didn't want her going into a combat zone without the ability to properly protect herself."

"If we offered you and your wife the opportunity to serve America here and now with me, would you take it?" The doctor suddenly asked.

"Dr. Erskine…" Phillips started, but was interrupted as Clint answered.

"I'm not a scientist, doctor, but my wife… she would probably jump at the chance."

Erskine looked pleased and Phillips sighed.

"And if I enlisted you as a soldier, would you fight for me?" Phillips asked.

Clint studied the man. He reminded Clint a little of Fury with some of his mannerisms.

"I might have a shady past, Colonel, but I am loyal to my country. Yeah, I would fight for you."

The doctor and colonel shared a look.

"Then prepare yourself, Mr. Bask, you just joined the United States Army."

* * *

 **Review and let me know your thoughts! Please remember this is my own rendition of the characters and their stories, so not everything will follow the history of Captain America as it was truly written. Thanks!**


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